Butlr Studio allows certain sensors to be virtually duplicated to support advanced occupancy and traffic analytics without installing additional physical hardware.

Two types of virtual sensors are available:

• Cloned Sensors

• Mirrored Sensors

These virtual sensors allow one physical device to support multiple spatial contexts in Studio.

Cloned Sensors

What is a Cloned Sensor?

A cloned sensor is a virtual copy of an existing physical sensor. It allows the same sensor data to be used in multiple locations in Studio without installing another device.

The cloned sensor shares the same data stream and configuration as the original sensor.

Users can only modify:

• Sensor placement

• Sensor rotation

All other sensor settings are inherited and remain identical to the original sensor.

Cloned sensor's connection status is identical to the real sensor.

How Cloned Sensors Work

When a sensor is cloned:

• The cloned sensor receives the same detection data as the original.

• Most configuration settings are inherited from the source sensor.

• The cloned sensor can be placed in a different location within Studio.

Because configuration settings remain the same, cloned sensors are primarily used to associate the same sensor data with multiple spatial contexts.

Common Use Cases

Multi-Level Occupancy Tracking

A single sensor can contribute occupancy information at multiple levels.

Example:

• Room occupancy

• Floor occupancy

• Building occupancy

A cloned sensor can represent the same traffic or presence data in a higher-level space while the original sensor represents a specific room.

For example, one Traffic Sensor can simultaneously provide occupancy data for Building A, Floor 1, and Room 102. This logic should also apply to buildings with multiple entrances. For example, the setup below requires only 1 physical traffic sensor to track Room 102's and Floor 1's occupancy.

Monitoring Flexible Spaces with Movable Partitions

Cloned sensors can be used to support occupancy tracking in spaces that are sometimes divided into smaller rooms using movable partitions.

For example, a conference center may be configured as:

• Room 112-A

• Room 112-B

When the partition between them is closed, the rooms operate as two separate spaces.
When the partition is opened, they function as a single larger room (Room 112).

With cloned sensors:

• Physical sensors installed in the larger space provide the detection data.

• Cloned sensors are placed in Studio to represent each section (112-A and 112-B).

• Each cloned sensor shares the same data and settings as the original sensor, but can be placed and rotated to represent a different area.

This allows Studio to support both section-level occupancy and full-room occupancy without installing additional hardware.

Important Consideration

Butlr sensors cannot detect whether movable partitions are open or closed.

Because of this:

• If the partition is closed, section-level occupancy (for example, Room 112-A and 112-B) may more closely reflect actual usage.

• If the partition is open, section-level occupancy may not represent how people are distributed within the combined space.

However:

• Total occupancy for the full room (Room 112) will remain accurate.

To maintain accurate section-level occupancy regardless of partition configuration, an external signal indicating partition status would be required (for example, integration with a partition sensor or room control system).

Mirrored Sensors

What is a Mirrored Sensor?

A mirrored sensor is a virtual traffic sensor that reverses the IN and OUT directions of another sensor.

This allows a single traffic sensor to represent movement in the opposite direction in another location.

For example:

Mirroring is available only for Traffic Mode sensors.

How Mirrored Sensors Work 

When a sensor is mirrored:

• The mirrored sensor receives the same event stream as the original sensor.

• The IN and OUT counts are reversed.

• The mirrored sensor can be placed in another location in Studio.

This allows the mirrored sensor to represent traffic flow for another connected space.

Mirrored sensors also follow the same connection status as the original sensor.

Common Use Cases

Monitoring Traffic Between Connected Rooms

If two rooms are connected by a doorway, a single traffic sensor can track movement between them.

• The original sensor tracks traffic for one room.

• The mirrored sensor represents traffic for the other room.

This enables accurate occupancy updates for both rooms without installing an additional sensor. For example, the setup below requires only 3 physical traffic sensors to track Room A and Room B’s occupancy.

Monitoring Traffic Between Connected Floors (Same Stairwell)

For two floors linked by an internal stairwell (not connected to other floors), a single Traffic sensor can track movement for both floors by adding a mirrored sensor to the other floor/space.
Note: This requires adding a cloned Hive to the floor with the mirrored sensor.

Clone vs Mirror: Key Differences

When to Use Each

Use a cloned sensor when:

• The same sensor data should apply to multiple locations

• You want to associate a sensor with multiple spatial contexts in Studio

Use a mirrored sensor when:

• Tracking traffic between connected spaces

• One space requires the opposite IN/OUT counting of another

How to Quickly Find a Cloned/Mirrored Sensor (Same or Different Floor)

1. Select the source sensor.
2. In the info panel, locate the Virtual Sensor list.
3. Click the MAC address of the cloned or mirrored sensor.
4. You will be taken directly to that sensor (including switching floors if needed).